Agatha Raisin and the Love from Hell

cafeteria was doing a roaring trade. Clouds were piling up over to the west and Agatha could feel the beginnings of a headache. Where was Roy? She began to worry so much that even when Mrs Bloxby rounded off the day by making a speech of thanks to everyone who had helped in general and one, Agatha Raisin, in particular, she barely listened. As soon as the applause had died down, she ran home and got into her car and headed for Worcester.
    When she arrived in Worcester, she realized she should just have waited at home for Roy to call. She had forgotten, he didn’t have a car. He might even now be on the train, heading back to Moreton-in-Marsh. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard. Six o’clock! Dewey would have shut up shop, so she would have no way of finding out when Roy had left.
    She decided to try the shop anyway. She parked the car and hurried over to The Shambles. To her relief, she saw the shutters had not been put up. She cupped her hand and peered in the window. Roy was sitting in a chair, looking like a scared rabbit. Dewey was talking forcibly and standing over Roy, brandishing a pair of scissors. Agatha was about to burst in, but then she thought that might urge Dewey to violence. She moved away from the window and took out her mobile phone and called the police, and waited, trembling and anxious, until a squad car roared up. ‘My friend is in there,’ she babbled to the first policeman, ‘being threatened with a pair of scissors.’ There were three policemen in all. They walked into the shop and Agatha followed them, glad to see that Roy was still unharmed.
    ‘We have a report that you have been threatening this gentleman with a pair of scissors,’ said the leading policeman ponderously.
    Dewey, whose face had been contorted with rage when Agatha had seen him through the window, immediately became transformed into a meek and bewildered shopkeeper.
    ‘I do not know what you mean!’ he said, putting the scissors down on the desk. He looked at Agatha. ‘It’s that trouble-making woman again. I was merely giving this gentleman a lecture on antique dolls.’
    ‘Is that true, sir?’ The policeman looked at Roy.
    ‘Yes, I suppose he was,’ said Roy. ‘But he scared me. I’ve been here for hours and hours . He said I was checking up on him. He said I didn’t know the first thing about dolls and he stood over me with the scissors in my face and went on and on.’
    ‘Do you wish to lay charges?’
    ‘No,’ said Roy. ‘I just want to get out of here.’
    ‘If he threatened you with a pair of scissors, you should lay charges against him.’
    ‘I was defending myself, officer,’ said Dewey. ‘You will find that this woman and another man entered my home recently and said they had a gun.’
    Now the policeman looked at Agatha suspiciously. ‘You pestering this man?’
    ‘No,’ said Agatha, and ‘Yes,’ said Dewey.
    ‘Could we just let the matter drop?’ pleaded Roy.
    Dewey suddenly agreed. ‘Yes, let’s just forget about the whole thing.’
    The police driver came into the shop. ‘Smash and grab out on The Walls, sir.’
    ‘Right.’ The policeman glared all around. ‘I’ll let it go this time.’
    ‘Come on,’ hissed Roy, grabbing Agatha’s arm. He obviously didn’t want to be left with Dewey again.
    ‘Phew!’ said Roy as they hurried along the street. ‘Let’s find a pub. I could do with a drink.’
    ‘Now,’ said Agatha when they had found a table in a quiet pub, ‘what happened?’
    ‘At first it all seemed pretty matey,’ said Roy. ‘That was when we drove to Worcester. He was torn between joy at getting the doll and wondering whether he had paid too much over the top for it. He did all the talking. Things were fine until we got to the shop. He seemed to have taken a liking to me. He got us coffee and we sat down by the desk. I said I was a friend of yours and wasn’t it dreadful about the murder of his ex-wife. He said, yes, it was terrible and then he grew cold and began to question me on my knowledge of antique dolls, of which I know zilch. He began then to accuse me of merely wanting to poke my nose into his affairs. I protested. I said I may not know much, but I was eager to learn as I was thinking of starting a collection.
    ‘His eyes were all funny and glittery. He said I was just like Melissa, pretending to a knowledge I didn’t have to ingratiate myself with him and do him harm. By this time he was waving the scissors around.’
    Roy took a